As the Women’s Tennis Association looks to introduce noise guidelines for its junior ranks, the seniors are hardly setting the best example.

In the top half of the draw, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka will resume the most hair-raising rivalry in the game, with the former’s flat-out screech going up against latter’s ghostly warble.

In the bottom half, you have Sara Errani’s creaky-door impression. And then there is Serena Williams, who used to rack up the decibels as recklessly as anyone, but who has now become one of the quieter players in the top 10.

The WTA accepts the arguments of players such as Azarenka, who they say cannot change their habits at this late stage of their careers. But Williams’s example suggests that leopards can change their spots after all.

Admittedly, noise pollution feels like less of an issue at the US Open, the rowdiest tournament in the calendar, than it does within the hushed precincts of the All England Club. Arthur Ashe Stadium exists in a constant hubbub of chatter, pop songs, advertising promotions and passenger jets landing at nearby LaGuardia airport.

But grunting is still a major issue for casual fans, many of whom are turned off by the constant din. And this is a pity, as the quality of women’s tennis in the last couple of tournaments has been riveting. Even if Williams may have sauntered into the semi-finals without ever being extended, the quarter-finals involving Sharapova and Azarenka were both three-set epics.

It is not easy to pick a winner between these two, who have already played three times this year, with Azarenka leading 2-1. The Belarusian has been the more fluent in the tournament to date, but she would be well advised to finish the match off in straight sets if she wants to reach the final. Sharapova has an extraordinary three-set record this year: 12 matches, 12 victories.

As for Errani, she will surely be overpowered by Williams in the same way that she was by Sharapova in the French Open final.